


opposites attract

by VampireGuardDogs



Series: twilight chaptered fics [1]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Angst, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Love at First Sight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 05:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16612754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampireGuardDogs/pseuds/VampireGuardDogs
Summary: what do you do when the one you’re destined to be with is also destined to be your worst enemy?





	1. first sight

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy! Come talk to me on Tumblr under the username vampireguarddogs and to see a bunch more Twilight content, including writing I don't post here and moodboards! I also accept writing requests for your favorite ship, character, or group. I love any kind of message, long or short, about my work or anything! Have a great day. :)

leah had never wanted this day to come. but it was here, and there was nothing she could do about it. she had known about it for a month, and knew she would have to come back for it.

she had been gone since the volturi had ran. technically, she was still part of jacob's pack, but it had been nearly five years since she had last phased. she had enrolled at a college in california, and hadn't come back to la push since. after graduation, she began working at an animal shelter. her nature was helpful with the animals, and she found them to keep her calm.

she had avoided seeing sam or emily and had barely spoken with any member of her old pack or her current pack, and was slowly finding her happiness again. she hadn't met anyone else and almost preferred it that way, afraid of getting broken again.  
but she had to come back for this. her family had mostly accepted, though unhappily, her request to be left alone. she didn't want any reminders or connections to all the people and comforts she had lost when she ran from la push ten years ago. but they knew she would have been sad to miss this, and her brother had happily called her a month ago to let her know of his engagement.

it had been a short phone call, with her brother calling to let her know that he had imprinted on a friend renesmee had made in college a year ago. seth said they were getting married in a month and he wanted leah to be his best man.

leah had been silent for nearly two full minutes, unable to process that yet another member of their tribe had imprinted and she was still alone. she finally asked for the date and told him she would be there, and then hung up. then she went to the local thrift shop and bought the first suit she found that fit.  
the day before the wedding she rented a car and began driving back to la push, the place she thought she had left behind.

seth ran out to greet her the second her car stopped. he was wearing suit pants and a white button-up, with a bow tie half-tied around his neck. it fell off with his speed as he ran to hug his sister.

"hey se-" leah started to say, but she got caught off as he flung his arms around her and squeezed tight, so tight she could barely breathe. she was annoyed at first, but then realized how much she had missed her happy little punk of a baby brother. she hugged him back, hard, and was almost happy - and then the smell hit her.

she wrinkled her nose and loosened her arms from around seth, and he stepped back. "you just had to invite the leeches didn't you?" she groaned, her good mood gone. she knew there was no more bad blood between the coven and the packs anymore, but that didn't mean she had to like them. she still hadn't forgiven bella for all the pain she had put jake through. even more, she hated how the vampire's very existence had completely uprooted her life by being the catalyst that began the werewolves' transformations.

seth took a deep breath and rubbed his neck, an old nervous habit that alerted him to the fact that the bowtie was no longer around his neck. he sighed, and went to pick up the fallen bowtie. "please, leah, be nice. they've been really helpful these past few years and our relationship is better than ever. you know i consider them my friends. you don't have to go near them if you don't want to. just stand next to me at the altar and be your handsome self." he pleaded, beginning to shake the bowtie to knock the dirt off. 

leah smiled at his attempt to butter her up. "i know seth, i know. i don't hate them as much as i did. it's just... still hard for me to be around them." she countered, feeling bad for upsetting her brother on his wedding day. "so when can i meet the girl that my baby brother imprinted on?"

 

seth wrinkled his nose at being referred to as the 'baby brother,' but that was quickly erased by his ear-to-ear grin at the mere mention of her. "luna. her name's luna. she's in your old room getting ready with nessie and a couple of others. they won't let me in, of course." 

"of course." leah laughed, taking the bowtie from her brother and brushing off the rest of the dirt. "bend down so i can tie this on you. you never could do it right." seth knelt down, careful to keep his knees off of the ground so he wouldn't get dirt on his pants. leah placed the bowtie around his neck and quickly tied it. "there. now it's on right. i'm going in to meet luna. go get your jacket on! i'll see you at the ceremony." leah turned to grab the bag with her suit in it from the car, and began walking towards the house with seth following her.

"yes, mother." he joked, rolling his eyes. he flung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they walked. "seriously, leah. thank you for being here. i know it's hard for you to be here and i couldn't be more grateful. i can't imagine doing this without you by my side." he said as they entered the house.

"love you too, seth." leah said just barely loud enough for him to hear. he walked into his room, and leah stood at the door of her old room. she hadn't lived here in over ten years, ever since she had finally escaped sam and his pity. she wasn't sure what to expect, or how much it had changed. she took a deep breath and knocked. 

"go away seth!" she heard a familiar voice call and she stifled a groan. of course bella would be here helping. she took another deep breath to calm herself. "it's not seth." she said. "it's me, leah. may i come in? i'd like to meet luna."

"of course. come in!" a musical voice called. she recognized renesmee's voice, and smiled. although she wanted to hate every member of the cullen clan, she couldn't ignore how happy she made jacob, and that made it hard for leah to hate her. she opened the door and walked in, surprised at how little the room had changed. the only real difference is that her old desk now looked like a vanity, with a large mirror on top. a crowd of women was standing but the desk, all looking expectantly towards the door.

bella and esme were standing on either side of the group. bella looked wary, like she was frightened of seeing leah after all this time. renesmee and alice were both hunched over the woman sitting on her old desk chair. alice was holding a makeup brush, and renesmee still had her hands in around a lock of the other woman's hair. leah's eyes quickly appraised the small group of familiar women and then turned to the one she did not recognize, and assumed this was luna.

"hi leah! it's so nice to meet you!" luna said, standing up and walking over to leah. she held out her hand, which leah took to quickly shake before letting it go and stepping back towards the door.

"hi." leah said, putting one hand in her pocket and looking down at the floor. she wasn't sure what to do or say. this was about as awkward as she thought it would be.

"it's so good to see you here," luna tried again. "seth's so happy to have you back. he's been talking about seeing you again nonstop since you talked on the phone. he's really missed you." luna babbled on, waiting for leah to say something. leah racked her brain for something to say.

"uh, yeah. it's... interesting to be back. i've missed my family here," she finally settled on.

"yeah!" luna said a little too brightly. "well, i'm still working on getting ready. or do you want us to leave the room so you can get changed?" luna asked.

"i can just get changed in the bathroom," leah said, turning to leave. "i'll be right back," she continued, glad for the chance to escape. before she could open the door again, someone on the other side opened it.

"luna! i have the earrings you wanted to wear! they arrived in time after all!" the woman said as she slipped into the room, closing the door behind her. she had been messing with a box when she came in, and came to a stop just inside the door. she triumphantly held up a pair of earrings, looking towards luna. leah stopped midstep, stunned by the sudden appearance of this woman she didn't recognize.

"thank you so much carrie!" luna exclaimed, running back to embrace the new woman. leah still couldn't move, and she wasn't sure why. she had never felt like this before. the feeling was somehow familiar. she racked her brain trying to remember where or when she had felt it before. 

"oh, how rude of me!" luna exclaimed, letting go of carrie and stepping back. "i can't believe i forgot to introduce you to my almost sister-in-law. leah, this is carrie. carrie, this is leah."  
the woman turned to look at leah full force, and leah finally remembered where she had remembered this feeling from. it was true, she had never felt it herself. but she had felt like this through the mind of quil, when he thought about clare. or paul, when he thought about rachel. or jared, when he thought about kim. or jacob, when he thought about renesmee.  
or even, sam when he thought about emily. up until this moment, it had always hurt when she though of sam or emily or sam and emily and how he had betrayed her. but it didn't hurt anymore. she realized she had never loved sam. it was only obligation that kept them together, and her anger at him for breaking that obligation that hurt. she had certainly never felt like this before. 

she smiled as she looked at the new woman, her new gravity, her new sun. suddenly, she wanted to know everything about this woman. she wanted to hear about her interested and hobbies and favorite music and movies and foods and her pet peeves and her dreams and plans for the future and everything under the sun. she hoped this new woman felt the same. from the look in her black eyes, leah thought she might.

leah reached out her hand to shake carrie's, smiling wider as they touched. "hi, i'm leah," she said, slowly shaking her hand.

"i gathered that much. i'm carrie," carrie said, laughing. the rest of the world melted away, and suddenly it was just carrie and leah in the room. leah was so caught up in this new feeling and the sudden joy in the knowledge that she wouldn't be alone anymore that she didn't notice how carrie's hand felt cold as ice, or how she smelled so sweet it should have burned leah's nose. all she noticed was how beautiful carrie was, and how amazing it felt to look at her inhumanly beautiful face.


	2. connection

"carrie? can i have the earrings?" luna asked, bringing leah and carrie back to the room. leah blinked and shook her head, as if coming out of a trance. she dropped carrie's hand and took a step back.

"of course! sorry, got a little side tracked. here you go!" carrie said, stepping further into the room to hand the earrings to luna. leah took another step towards the door that carrie had left open behind her.

"i, i'm gonna go change now. s-see you at the ceremony," leah stammered, quickly walking through and closing the door. "it was nice meeting you," leah called right before the door closed. she stood alone in the hallway, unable to move. now that she was away from carrie, she wasn't sure what to make of it. she had imprinted? and on a woman? was that even possible? she wasn't sure, but she didn't know who to talk to or even how to talk about it. she shook her head again, as if trying to shake out these thoughts. she then walked into the bathroom to get changed into her suit.

after getting dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror. she grabbed her mother's brush off of the sink and quickly brushed her hair, trying to smooth out the tangles. since she stopped phasing, she had let it grow long again. this was more out of habit than an actual desire for long hair; she thought she preferred it shorter. it was much less work that way. once her hair was mostly tangle-free, she turned off the lights and left her bathroom, grabbing her clothes on the way out. she walked back down the hall to seth's room, hoping to stash her bag there before the wedding. she was afraid to go into her old room; she wasn't ready just yet to actually confront her new imprint status.

"seth?" she called through the door as she knocked. "it's leah. can i come in?"

"of course sis! door's open!" he called. leah opened the door and stepped into the room, closing it behind her. 

"mind if i leave this in here during the wedding?" she asked, holding up her bag.

"no problem at all!" seth said. he had been standing facing the full-length mirror that alice had brought in for the occasion. he kept adjusting and re-adjusting his jacket and bowtie, trying to keep the garments smooth. he turned to look at leah after he answered. "well, don't you look dashing!" he said, walking towards leah with his arms open for another hug.

"yeah, yeah. i'm very handsome," she said with a roll of her eyes. "am i allowed to look better in a suit than the groom?" she teased. seth laughed.

"i could never compete. i'll allow it," seth continued the joke. "would it not be easier to leave the bag in your room? aren't you staying there tonight?" he asked, finally noticing the bag leah was tossing on his bed. 

"i am, but didn't want to get in the way of the bride," leah answered, hoping seth wouldn't notice the way she wouldn't meet his eyes as she thought of going in that room again. she already felt herself missing carrie, which was crazy. why on earth would she miss someone she barely knew? 

"fair enough. how's it going in there? did you meet her?" seth asked.

"it's going well, i think. i wouldn't really know. never been to one of these before," leah said, unable to stop looking at the ground. she had obviously missed bella and edward's wedding; that was certainly a union she never cared for or wanted to thing about. and well, she certainly hadn't gone to sam and emily's wedding. so much had changed after she became a wolf too; she just couldn't have stood to be there when all she could think was that it should have been her walking down the aisle, and even worse that sam would know those thoughts. she didn't even know who else had married or imprinted; this wasn't her pack anymore. "but yeah, i did meet luna," she continued, hoping to slide past the awkwardness. "she's great, seth. really."

"yeah, i really hit the jackpot, didn't i?" seth said, blushing.

"yeah. you really did. i'm really happy for you."

"thank you. me too." they stood in silence for a moment, and then leah went to sit on the bed. seth walked back to the mirror and tried adjusting his suit again. 

"seth, stop. you look great," leah called to him, fidgeting with the hem of her own jacket.

"yeah, i guess i can't really do much else. i'm just so nervous! and excited! i just wanna get this started. i want to see her," seth said, finally giving up on straightening his clothes and going to sit next to leah. "is everything okay?" he asked once he was sitting. "you seem distracted by something."

"what? no, i'm fine," leah said, continuing to fidget with her jacket. "it's just... being here, you know? i haven't been around in so long. it feels weird."

"yeah, i can understand that. but are you sure it's nothing else? you didn't seem this... distracted before." 

"nope. nothing else." she stood up and walked to the window, looking out. the window looked out on the back yard, a wide expanse of grass that led to the nearby forest. the wedding was to take place on the grass; it was already set up. multiple rows of folding chairs were set up on either side of an aisle created by a long sheet of white lace on the ground. the lace led to a small alter that was covered in white flowers and twinkling lights. a few guests were already seated, and leah checked her watch. the wedding was due to start in ten more minutes. seth walked to stand at leah's side, and put his arm around her shoulders. they stood like that in silence for a few minutes.

"who's carrie?" leah asked suddenly, breaking the silence. 

"carrie? oh her. her and alice met a few years back, and then she became friends with the rest of the family. luna likes her too. she's pretty cool," seth explained.

"no reason. i just bumped into her while i was meeting luna. she seems pretty cool," leah said, unable to help her smile. but she wasn't yet ready to say she had imprinted. that secret was hers for now. 

"she is pretty cool! i wouldn't think you'd like her though, considering..." seth started to say. 

"considering what?!" leah demanded, wondering why she was suddenly so hostile. 

"nothing, just..." seth tried again, but trailed off.

"just what?!" leah demanded again. before seth could respond, there was a knock on the door.

"seth? leah? the wedding's about to start. you should get in your places!" alice said, poking her head in the room. of course alice had organized the whole wedding.

"yes mam. come on leah! it's time to get going," said said, taking leah by the hand and leading her past alice and out the back door of the house, taking their place under the wedding arch.

"seth, you still haven't told me," leah reminded him, pulling her hand from his.

"i'll tell you after the wedding, okay?" seth said, looking everywhere but at his sister.

"fine. i'll wait," leah said, crossing her arms as they took their place. remembering where she was, she took a deep breath and uncrossed her arms as the music began.


	3. impossible

the wedding had ended, and had gone off without single problem thanks to alice's meticulous planning. leah was standing off to the side with a glass of water, watching the festivities happen. everyone was in line to congratulate seth and luna, or talking with the other guests. leah wasn't interested in either of these activities, and was actually wondering how long she had to be there before she could leave. she was staying in town for another few days, so she would have plenty of time to sit and talk with seth and congratulate him. 

she didn't want to talk to the rest of the guests. she had exchanged greetings with some of seth's human friends from forks that had come, but she didn't feel friendly towards most of the guests. she was still uncomfortable around vampires, regardless of how much seth would rave about how great some of them were. as for the werewolf guests, she still wasn't ready to forgive them for how they had treated her when she was part of the pack. she enjoyed being back home with her family for the most part, but some of it was awkward.

"enjoying the reception?" a vaguely familiar voice said, breaking leah away from her thoughts. leah looked beside her and saw carrie standing next to her, her hands empty. in spite of herself, leah smiled.

"i am," she said, looking back over the wedding before turning back to the beautiful woman next to her. "and how about you?" she asked.

"me too. it was beautiful; alice did a great job," carrie said, admiring the beautiful reception.

"yeah, alice is a real force of nature," leah muttered, much too low for human ears to hear. she rolled her eyes.

"that she is," carrie said, laughing. or at least, leah thought she spoke too low to be heard. she didn't want to be outwardly negative and spoil anyone's good time, especially for carrie. she didn't exactly know how this connection worked, but she certainly didn't want to break it.

"so where are you from?" leah asked her. 

"originally chicago. but then i moved to seattle a while ago, and i eventually met luna when we were both in college," carrie explained.

"how come you moved to seattle?" 

"oh, uh... chicago just wasn't working out for me anymore." carrie said, looking down at the ground, breaking leah's gaze for the first time. "have you lived in la push your whole life?" she asked, moving the focus away from herself.

"most of it. i moved down to a small coastal town in california a few years back," leah explained, trying to get carrie to look at her again.

"so why did you move?" carrie asked, looking up and smiling.

leah took a moment before she answered. "i guess the same reason. i just didn't feel at home in la push anymore," she said, fidgeting with her water glass. "can i get you something to drink?" leah asked, realizing she was being rude to not offer a guest a drink.

"no, i'm fine. i'm not thirsty right now," carrie said, cracking a small smile. "thank you, though."

"no problem," leah said, wondering what the smile was about. she was trying to think of something else to say when seth and luna walked up to the pair.

"leah!" seth exclaimed, pulling her into a huge hug, one-armed hug, as one arm was outstretch to hold luna's hand. 

"congrats, bro," leah said, returning the hug and then stepping back. "you too, luna. it's nice to have you join the family."

"thank you," luna said, surprising leah by stepping towards her for a hug. it was small, but it made leah smile. of course seth would fall for someone as loving and warm as he is.

"have you met carrie, seth?" leah asked, gesturing to the woman beside her.

"i have! luna introduced us a few hours ago," he said, turning to hug carrie as well.

"yes, it's good to see you again, seth. and congratulations," she said, returning the hug.

"i see you two have hit it off," seth said, lifting his eyebrow. leah glared at him. 

"luna, i think alice needs you," carrie said, point towards the small vampire. she was standing a few yards away, with her arms crossed and tapping her foot. when luna met her eyes, she pointed to her watch.

"oh yes, she needs me to change into my reception dress," luna said with a roll of her eyes.

"you have a second dress?" leah asked in surprise.

"yes, yes i do. alice said it would be easier to dance in. and she didn't want me to risk getting mud on the ceremony dress, with how wet it can be out here," luna explained, holding up her hand to let alice know she was coming. "carrie, will you come help me?" she asked.

"of course. let's go before alice bites someone," carrie said. both women laughed and then began walking towards alice, who was looking more impatient by the second. leah watched them walk into the small house and then turned to seth.

"who's carrie?" she asked him.

"she's a friend of luna's. she was really helpful in the wedding planning. even got really close to alice during the process. she's pretty cool," seth explained, examining his sister. "why?" he asked.

"well, uh... i think... i think maybe..." leah tried to say, unsure how to say it or if she could get the words out. seth looked confused for a moment, and then his eyes popped open in shock. he took her hand and ran with her towards the woods. over their shoulders, she saw jacob and the rest of their pack look after them in confusion, but seth shook his head. once they had cleared the tree cover and could no longer be seen by the guests, they sprinted through the trees faster than any normal human could.

"seth. what's going on? why did you drag me all the way out here? they're going to wonder where we went," leah complained, ripping her hand from his. 

"we need to talk about something. and i can't risk any of the guests overhearing - and some of them have really good hearing," seth said. "and besides... i don't think you're going to react well to what i'm going to say. so it's probably safer to be somewhere where you can lose it a little."

"react to what?! seth, if you don't tell me right this second, i'll..." leah began to threaten, but seth cut her off.

"did you imprint on carrie?" seth demanded. this wasn't what leah was expecting to her, and this brought her up short.

"yes. at least, i think so. is that why you brought me all the way out here? i wanted to imprint, if you remember. didn't realize i'm a lesbian, but now a lot about my relationship with sam makes sense. so it's good to have that explained now. i'm not going to destroy anything over imprinting, if that's what you thought," leah said with a laugh. it was only when she finished speaking that she noticed seth wasn't looking at her anymore. he had ducked behind a tree, and was beginning to take off his tux.

"what are you doing?" leah asked. "put that back on so we can go back to the reception. they're going to wonder where you are."

"no. i have something else to tell you, and it may result in me needing to phase quickly. and alice, and luna for that matter, will kill me if i tear my wedding tux," seth said.

"alice and luna won't be the ones killing you if you don't tell me what's going on right this insant!" leah demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at the tree her brother was hiding behind. he poked his head around the side of the tree and took a deep breath.

"leah... carrie's a vampire," he said, a wary look crossing his face. leah froze. all thoughts, emotions, everything was gone in an instant. it all returned in a blazing heat as fast as it had gone.

"carrie's... a... what..." leah whispered in utter shock as the fire ripped through her, changing her into the form she hadn't taken in over five years.


	4. stop

leah ran through the forest, her heavy paws beating the ground as she ran. she didn't know if she was trying to run away from something or if she was running towards something. why she was running from something she didn't think she could escape. did she even want to escape? could she? what would happen if she did? or if she didn't? leah's thoughts were a jumbled mess as she ran. so many different thoughts and possibilities flashing through her mind that she could barely make sense of or even process one thought before another took its place. how could this happen to me was the only thought she could make sense of as it flashed through her mind again and again.

she she continued to run, her mind began to clear and she tried to focus on her surroundings more to avoid getting lost. it wasn't long before she could make out the sound of someone pursuing her. she pushed herself still faster, hoping her speed could take her away from whatever or whoever was following her. it had been years since she had run like this, but she had been the fastest at one point and hoped that was still in her. then she heard the familiar voice calling to her. 

leah, the voice called. she recognized the voice; it was the sound of her brother's thoughts. she hadn't heard it in so long. she slowed slightly, but kept running. she didn't expect to stop for a long time. leah, take some time. but please come back tonight. we need to talk. please, seth pleaded. she didn't respond. he didn't say anything else, and the sound of him running through the forest faded, and then stopped as he phased back to a human and went to rejoin the wedding party.

leah wondered what he would tell them about her sudden vanishing act. would anyone miss her there? probably not, she thought as she picked up her speed. she hadn't run like this in so long, and had forgotten how freeing it could feel. although she had never liked being a wolf, and was glad she didn't have to keep it up anymore, she couldn't deny how great some parts of it were. she continued through the forest, getting further and further from the place she once called home. she didn't really have a plan yet, but figured this was better than anything else. maybe i'll pull a jake and live as a wolf full-time, she thought as she ran. not that that worked out too well, she added, remembering the spectacle that had occurred when he finally returned.

she ran until she couldn't anymore, and found herself in a small clearing so deep in the forest. the area was small, and uneven. it was mostly rock, with small patches of grass. she went to the biggest patch of grass and curled herself into a ball, not bothering to phase back. eventually, she moved her paw off of her face and looked up at the sky, seeing the familiar stars she had grown up looking at. she looked at the moon, hanging low and bright in the sky. it was a full moon, and one of the rare occasions they could fully see it without the constant cloud cover over la push. 

as she steadied the sky, she began to remember the request her brother had made, that she come home that night. she had no idea how long she had been gone, but she didn't want to keep him waiting too long. she couldn't abandon him on his wedding day. she remained on the grassy patch, trying to gather her courage to run back and face whatever it was that was waiting for her back home.

eventually, she stood up and began running back. the trees flew by in a blur as she pushed herself faster than she ever had before, hoping to be back before too long. before she lost her nerve and turned around, continuing to run away. after some time, she began to reach a place that looked familiar. she slowed to a stop, and sniffed the area. seth's wolf scent cut out here, so she figured this must have been the place that they had talked before she phased. 

she looked around the area more, and found scraps of black fabric that had once been the suit she wore to the wedding. guess i can't return that one anymore, she idly thought as she wondered what to do. with a closer look, she saw a small pile of fabric sitting at the base of the tree. cautiously, she went forward to examine it, and found they were her clothes that seth must have set out for her. she quickly phased back to human form and dug through the pile, quickly dressing. after a few deep breaths, she slowly walked out of the forest to meet whatever was waiting for her.

seth was waiting at the edge of the woods for her, and ran towards her the second she stepped out of the tree line.

"leah!" he called, throwing his arms around her. "i'm so glad you came back," he said, his voice muffled a bit by her shoulder.

"i wouldn't leave you alone here, seth," she said, surprised at first and then returning the hug. 

"jake didn't think you would," seth said with an awkward laugh, finally pulling away from the hug.

"like i have ever needed or wanted his opinion." leah rolled her eyes. "just because he tried to run from his problems doesn't mean i would."

"we just want to help," seth muttered as they began walking toward the house. 

"so i'm apparently destined to be with a leech. or something like that," leah sneered as they entered the house. waiting in the living room were jake, her mother, and luna. sue and luna were sitting on their small couch, staring into the fireplace where someone had built a fire. jake was sitting on the floor, leaning against the opposite wall to face the door. he stood up when seth and leah walked in. the pack was mostly disbanded by now, with the threats of vampires mostly gone, but he was still the alpha when he needed to be. seth left leah by the door and went to sit on the couch, taking luna's hand.

"guess i've kind of blown our concepts of imprinting out of the water huh?" leah said as she flopped down on the armchair by the fire. she grabbed one of the pillows off of the floor where they had fallen and hugged it to her stomach. everyone else in the room was watching her, as she watched them, waiting for someone to say something, anything. 

"you've never really been the typical expectation for a werewolf," seth said, trying to lighten the mood. leah just glared at him, and he quickly looked at the ground. jacob sighed.

"what are you going to do about this, leah?" jacob asked moving to stand in the center of the room, facing leah.

"i think it's kind of obvious i don't have a clue," leah snapped. "i don't want to have anything to do with this stupid wolf stuff anymore, and then this comes along and ruins that, and in the worst way. a stupid tick? aren't they supposed to be our enemies? and now one of them is what? my soulmate? this makes no sense."

"imprinting never makes sense," seth murmured. jacob turned to look at him, and leah continued her glare. luna and sue just looked confused. "i mean, just look at us. sam..." leah flinched at the mention of her old wounds. "never mind," seth said, seeing the flinch. "but jacob imprinted with nessie, who's half vampire. my luna isn't even from our tribe. quil and jared barely knew their imprintees beforehand, and paul..." jacob groaned, and seth rolled his eyes. "my point being, we never know who we're going to imprint with or why we imprint. all i know is that i'm happy with luna, and i've never seen any of the other guys happier than when they're with theirs. happiness doesn't have to make sense to exist," seth finished, leaning back into the couch and squeezing luna's hand. she kissed his cheek. jacob turned again to face leah.

"he has a point," he told her. leah groaned again and put the pillow over her face.

"i don't care!" she yelled around the pillow, which muffled the harsh words. 

"leah..." jacob began before seth cut him off.

"don't discount her just yet, leah. i've hung out with carrie so much through luna and honestly, she's great. smart and wicked funny and supportive. she doesn't hunt humans. and i saw the way she was looking at you. give her a chance. this doesn't have to be as awful as you're making it out to be," seth pointed out. 

"let yourself be happy," sue added. leah lowered the pillow and looked at her mother. "leah, just take the plunge. i know you've struggled so much with the vampires and how they've changed your life, but you don't have to hold the grudge forever. especially when it's against someone that could be so, so good for you. just go talk to her," sue continued, standing up to walk over to her daughter. jacob quietly walked back to the side of the room, out of the way. "i'm not going to let you give up on this before it begins. i'm serious, go now," sue setting grabbing leah's hand and pulling her onto her feet.

"but mom, i..." leah tried to argue back.

"no buts. carrie's a lovely girl and if i think that you'll be absolutely fine talking to her. just go before i ask her to come back here. she went down to the beach; you'll find her there." sue pushed her daughter towards the door. leah tried to fight back, but her mother could be a force to be reckoned with when she needed to be. eventually she gave up trying to resist and allowed herself to be led to the door. she stepped outside and down the small porch steps, until she was standing in the open air again.

she did what had been asked of her, and came back. she heard what everyone had to say. she had never promised to listen to them, or take any further action. she could turn right now and run back to her new home, back to her sculptures and books and classes and where no one knew of the supernatural truths that surrounded her old life. this wasn't her life, not anymore. she thought long and hard about running away. her car was still outside, she could easily climb in and drive far away. they couldn't make her talk to carrie if she didn't want to.

except... she did want to. this may not have been her life anymore, but it could be again. for so long, being a wolf and all the rules and responsibilities that had come with it had been such a source of pain and loss for her that she could barely think about it, even now, so many years later. but what if what had once been such a source of pain to her ended up bringing her the best thing she could ever have? what if it had all been leading up to this?

leah didn't know, but maybe it was time she found out. she began to walk slowly, hopefully towards the beach. hoping for what, she didn't know. but it was something. and something was better than anything.


	5. choice

leah walked along the main road that led through la push. she had some general idea of where she was going, but it didn't matter how long it took her to get there. the longer it took her to walk, the longer she had to think about what she was going to do. as far as she knew, no one had ever resisted the pull of an imprint. sam had instantly dumped her for emily; jared was forever happy with kim. paul could barely let rachel out of his sight; jacob was happier with renesmee than leah had ever seen him; and even quil was happy looking after claire. but at least their imprints weren't leeches.

she couldn't get over that. what the hell was imprinting for if she could imprint on one of the creatures they were designed to kill? was it some kind of weird "love conquers all" plan? why did she have to be part of it? why did her life have to be thrown for a loop like this? the had a quiet life. she was alone but that didn't mean she wasn't happy. her business was doing well, she was in a new place she loved, she had finally started to let go of her past. now it was dragging her back, and she couldn't find a way out. already, though she barely knew her, leah couldn't stop thinking of carrie. she had never had this feeling before. but she couldn't. it wasn't fair. she didn't want to be with anyone, least of all a vampire.

she continued to walk down the road, lost in her thoughts. before she was even really aware of it, she was walking right along the edges of the woods that bordered the beach. the tree line was already thinning, showing that she was near the water. already she could feel the sea air, smelling the salt that was in the water. it may have just been her imagination, but she thought she could smell the vampire waiting on the beach. her nose wrinkled, but it was more an automatic response than anything else. already, the smell wasn't bothering her near as much. she didn't like that, or what it meant.

leah walked onto the beach, her toes instantly sinking into the sand. she sighed in relief. she had grown up loving this beach, and moving away from it had been the worst part of her freedom. she stood still, just letting herself exist in this moment, before she had to face the choice that was waiting for her. there was rejecting the imprint, although that was something she wasn't sure was even possible. or she could say "yes" for the first time in her life, and give herself a chance to be happy with someone. she began walking down the beach again, looking for carrie.

she found her sitting on a rock near the water's edge. the rock kept her clothes dry, but she had her feet resting in the water. she didn't look up at leah's approach. leah stood and just looked at her for a moment, watching the water lap at her bare feet, secretly loving the way the moonlight seemed to glint off her dark skin. she smiled in spite of herself, before quickly wiping her face clean of all emotion. controlling your emotions was one of the first things members of the wolf pack learned, and leah was glad it came in handy now. she took a deep breath before speaking.

"hey," leah said nervously, shoving her hands in her back pockets. carrie stood off of the rock and walked to leah, closing most of the distance between them until they were just a few inches apart.

"could you really not tell?" carries asked, shoving her hands in the pockets of her dress. 

"no," leah said at once. and she was speaking the truth. looking at carrie now, she wasn't sure how she had missed it. now she could see the smooth, hard skin; the inhuman grace with which she moved. the smell of her filled leah's nose, but it didn't bother her. she smelled wonderful. then leah realized how she had missed the biggest giveaway.

"your eyes," she said, looking deep into carrie's black eyes. it was so easy to lose yourself in them... leah couldn't remember what she had been about to say.

"yes, they're really dark right now," carrie said, rolling them. leah wondered how carrie seemed to know what she was thinking. "i didn't get a chance to hunt before the wedding. luna needed my help. and i've had enough practice around humans. i knew it would be fine."

"are they usually gold or red?" leah asked, not able to think of anything else. it was a roundabout way of asking the most important question, but leah hoped that carrie would understand.

"would it make a difference?"she asked, crossing her arms. 

"it makes all the difference!" leah said, also crossing her arms. the two stood in silence glaring at each other for a moment. then carrie dropped her arms.

"i spoke to the others about you. i asked why you ran off, and they explained imprinting to me. they told me that you had imprinted on me. and that you still view all vampires as your enemy. even those you've fought on the same side with," she said before turning and walking to sit back on the rock. leah didn't know how to respond. "we're not all bad, leah. i've never hurt a human. and i don't plan to." she turned to look out over the water, effectively turning her back on leah. she sounded almost... sad, and leah had the strangest urge to comfort her. 

"i didn't choose this," leah said with a shrug. it was the vampires that made me like this, that hurt me. my life wouldn't have gotten off track like this if vampires hadn't shown up," she added, not sure what else to say. she took a step, as if to go to carrie but then thought better of it. she stopped walking where she was, staying away from carrie. it didn't feel right.

"i didn't chose this either," carrie said, pulling her knees to her chest and looking down at her feet. leah couldn't help herself anymore; she couldn't keep staying away from her. so she walked to the rock and sat next to carrie.

"how did it happen?" leah asked slowly. she wasn't sure if this was something she could ask. the etiquette rules didn't exist here. "and when?"

"about ten years ago now. i was walking home from a party late one night, and i never made it home. i ran into the cullens a few years later, and they helped me get my life back. or what was left of it. i enrolled in school along with renesmee, and we remained friends. i don't stay with them usually; i prefer to travel on my own. but it's what works," carrie said, not looking at leah through her whole explanation.

"i'm sorry," leah said. she wanted to rest a comforting hand on carrie's shoulder, but wasn't sure if that would be welcome. so leah kept her hands in her lap, and slowly moved her feet in the sand, making random patterns as they sat.

"it's okay. i'm okay. i accepted my life for what it had become," carrie said, cracking a small smile.

"and you're thinking i should do the same?" leah asked, unable to stop herself from smiling back when carrie finally turned to look at her.

"yes," carrie said, going completely series again. but she took leah's hand after speaking, squeezing it as if to punctuate her words. leah couldn't ignore the butterflies in her stomach or how right it felt to be with carrie anymore. "i want to see where this goes, but we won't go anywhere if you don't want to try," she added, not letting go of leah's hand. leah looked down to where their hands were connected, then back up at carrie.

"then let's try," leah said, before she could think too much into it. she took carrie's hand and squeezed back. if this is where her past was pushing her, she might as well see what would come of it. maybe this beautiful vampire next to her would be her future.


End file.
